N’Golo Kante is on the brink of leaving Chelsea after being offered a lucrative two-year contract worth £172m by Saudi Arabian club Al Ittihad. The Frenchman has been a mainstay in the Blues team over the past seven seasons, making 269 appearances since his £32m move from Leicester City in 2016. During his time at Stamford Bridge, Kante won the Premier League twice, the Champions League, Europa League and FA Cup.
However, injuries limited him to just seven league appearances last season and with his Chelsea contract set to expire this summer, Kante has been considering his options with interest from Barcelona and Arsenal. But Al Ittihad have made the World Cup winner an offer too good to refuse, preparing a two-year contract worth around £86m a year.
Chelsea had been in talks with Kante over a contract extension but those conversations stalled last month. The Blues are now focusing on signing a new midfielder and have expressed interest in West Ham captain Declan Rice and Brighton star Moises Caicedo. Kante had suggested he would put pen to paper on a new deal with Chelsea after the 2022-23 season finished, but the Saudi offer has changed his mind.
Mauricio Pochettino has recently signed a two-year deal with Chelsea, who finished 12th in the Premier League last season. The Blues are now hoping to challenge Manchester City for the title next season and have opened talks for Neymar in a transfer blow to Manchester United and Arsenal.